Faded
by MarnieeD92
Summary: Azura is a hidden noble, one who is also an old friend of Rai and Frankenstein. Her memories of the past have faded over the years and when Rai reawakens and joins society, little by little her memories resurface.
1. Transfer Student

The principal's office was silent, save for the clock's ticking. The two occupants that resided in said room were going about their business and enjoying the company that the other person brought, even if it was one of quiet camaraderie.

Azura lounged on an armchair that was placed in the corner of the room, her long silvery hair cascaded over the chairs edge and almost brushed the floor. Her radiant garnet eyes roamed back and forth across her textbook, lazily. Her face retained an air of noble elegance and exhibited her very existence.

A noble.

Although she hardly had any recollection of her past; with bits and pieces here and there that was nothing short of blurry.

Only one face stuck out amongst the crowd of people that she had met in her long life; one that would be hard to forget regardless of one's disconnected memories.

His hair was inky black and fell to just above his shoulders, and his blood-red eyes seemed to shine, even in the darkness. One cross earring dangled from his ear.

His name was on the tip of her tongue, but it stuck and wouldn't form on her lips.

Across from where she rested there was a man. A man who was also known as the principal of this very school that she attended.

His blonde hair flowed past his shoulders and framed his handsome face. A smile was forever hung on the corner of his lips, and as he usually did in the mornings, he was scanning the newspaper.

He glanced over at the girl who for some reason liked to spend her time in his office.

Well he knew the reason: she could feel a familiarity towards him, one that he also felt.

However, that was because he did indeed know her - the real her. The her, before her memories faded.

They had been close friends since they were young. It saddened him somewhat that she didn't recognise the things of the past, and the friendship they shared.

His reminiscences of old times were interrupted by a knock at the door.

After he called out 'come in', a young man with red hair and wore the male equivalent of Azura's uniform entered, sporting a bandage across his nose.

Azura looked up from her book and shot her friend a grin who returned it, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Oh ~ Shinwoo. For what did you come here?" Frankenstein said in a cheery voice. "Some kind of trouble again?"

Shinwoo rubbed the back of his head and embarrassedly replied, "heh heh. That's not it."

"There was a transfer student, so I brought him here."

"Transfer?" Frankie was a little confused.

"The teacher instructed me to take him to you."

"Is that so? Thank you. You should return to class before you're any more late." And then added as an afterthought, "you too Azura. It's not good to be in here when you're supposed to be in class."

Azura rolled her eyes and shut her book. She stood up and gathered her things.

Frankenstein looked down at some documents.

"Hm ~ a transfer student? That's bizarre. There's nothing regarding a transfer student in the documents..." He took off his glasses and looked up when he heard Azura's bag drop to the floor.

He was slightly startled when he noted her expression, he was then even more shocked when he saw the 'transfer student', who had entered the room without his noticing.

"Y...you!" Azura could only stutter as she gazed at the man who had invaded her dreams and memories.

The same black hair and red eyes, that were currently locked on her red ones.

He was even more elegant than the him that she had pictured all these years. His looks were otherworldly and one unlike any other 'human' male... if he was even human, that is.

Which she doubted.

A hint of recognition was etched on his face and was that... also sadness?

Why would he look sad when he glanced at her?

Had they met before?

Or was it just something her fuzzy brain had made up?

Frankenstein's face wasn't any better than Azuras.

"N...no way." Was the only thing he managed to squeeze out, past the lump that had formed in his throat.

Impossible! It was simply illogical!

Had his master finally woken up?

That was undeniably the case, as he wouldn't be standing in front of him now and would still be asleep in that coffin.

And then the black-haired male opened his mouth.

"It's been a while." His voice was velvety and rich. It seemed to surround Azura, and bring along a sense of comfort. "Frankenstein, Azura."

Now she was sure they had met before.

But where?


	2. Reunion?

Azura was far from being just shocked at seeing the very man from her dreams (memories). With the way he called her name just now; it was pretty obvious that they met in the past, but how and where?

If only her memories weren't forgotten.

If only she could recollect the life she had lived up until now.

With her mind reeling, she hadn't noticed Frankenstein kneeling in front of the other male and calling him 'Master'.

The black-haired male instructed him to get up and moved to sit down on the sofa, and Frankenstein stood to the side - they both didn't fail to notice Azura still stood in her original spot looking dazedly at the floor.

The ravenette motioned with his eyes and Frankie steered her to the sofa. She sat down next to him and that was when she snapped back to reality.

The sense of familiarity only grew more profound as she sat close to the man's side, and closeness began to sprout in her chest.

The man only stole a glance at her from the corner of his eye and a smile glinted within them, but it was gone before Frankie and Azura could tell it was even there.

The silence was broken in the room by Frankenstein, who detected the tension between the two on the sofa.

"Master, how have you been?"

"I just woke up." Just woke up?

Azura was startled slightly as pictures suddenly sprang to mind.

The black-haired male being led to a coffin. Him speaking to who she presumed to be Frankie and someone who looked like her, but slightly different.

And then her lips opened and sounded out the man's name...

"Rai." Two voices overlapped as the memory her and the present her said his name.

For the present her it came out as more of a whisper, but the male beside her still heard it.

His hearing was exceptionally good and he wouldn't have missed a sound.

Especially the voice of the girl beside him.

He could listen to her voice forever.

Be that as it may, he pretended he hadn't heard it and continued to look ahead - being his typical regal, noble self.

Because he was indisputably the most prominent person out of all the nobles.

"How long was I sleeping in the coffin?"

Azura had more of an understanding of the conversation that was happening before her and was able to follow along. Things still didn't make complete sense to her, though.

For years she had had to deal with a broken mind and memories that were nothing more than a puzzle. So why was it now that Rai had awoken and appeared before her, that pieces were slowly coming together?

Everything was moving and becoming clearer.

"We don't know when you went to sleep but we last saw you 820 years ago."

820 years...

That really was a lengthy amount of time and even if Azura didn't remember, she did have some idea of her true age. Hearing it out loud was still a shock, nonetheless.

"We searched everywhere after you disappeared but we were unable to find you, sir. I'm so sorry."

"We did indeed look for an extensive time." Azura even without knowing how exactly it all went down, still knew how she had felt at that time. Plus Frankie had filled her in on most of it.

Frankie was determined to find out how his master had woken up, where he had and why he had disappeared for so long.


	3. Rai the Student

Azura walked side by side with Rai and stole casual glances at the male's handsome face.

She really did have a intense sense of familiarity with the Noblesse.

It was true they both shared a past, one that she had failed to remember almost completely - but why was it that with him that it seemed there was a closeness, unlike anything else. Or unlike anything she shared with anyone else...

Just what was their relationship?

The gentleness in Rai's eyes spoke volumes, but with Azura's mind elsewhere she failed to miss the meaning.

And it wasn't like she had the time to think more on it.

Class was already well underway when they arrived at their classroom.

Yes, 'their'...

It seemed that the surprises today would just not stop coming: having been asleep for 820 years Rai was out of touch with modern times and the ways of the world, so he had decided to join the school as a student and learn about the way things work.

And he just so happened to be also joining Azura's class. Not that she minded...

Azura sent the taller male a reassuring smile, not that he needed any reassurance, before entering the classroom first.

She was sent a warning glare from the teacher, as she sidled to her seat.

She was greeted by her friends, and the room around her grew silent.

All eyes turned to the front of the room, including hers.

The girls' faces flushed red at the sight of the 'transfer student'.

Azura was no exception, although it wasn't due to the males appearance, it was more to do with that said male, Rai, hadn't moved his gaze from her.

Nothing in that room mattered at that moment, their eyes locked together and the room slowly melted away until they were the only two left.

Her heart raced in her chest under his intense stare.

What's...what's with him?

What's with me?

She couldn't look away.

And she didn't want to.

It was short-lived though, when the teachers voice shattered their little world.

"Everyone attention." His voice resounded of the walls, "as all you all know, he will be studying with us."

The teacher's words had just only fell when a burst of squeals erupted amongst the girls, almost deafening everyone else.

Shinwoo jumped in his seat and Azura giggled, her movements not going unnoticed by Rai at the front.

An emotion unknown to him swirled in his chest as he watched Azura being close to someone else.

"Everybody be quiet!"

"He was born outside and raised abroad. It's his first time in this country so help him with culture and things."

"His name is..."

"Cadis Etrama Di Raizel, that's how it's pronounced here."

"What's with that long name?" Snorted Shinwoo, earning a smack to the head from Azura.

"It's a very noble name." Azura defended Rai.

A very noble name, indeed...


	4. Lesson

The next class was English, and they had to get out their textbooks, but of course Rai didn't have his, so he had to share one with Shinwoo who sat beside him. And then there was Azura, who also forgot hers. Somehow they managed to split the one textbook between all three of them, by putting the desks together.

The teacher stood at the front of the class, and noticed the three of them sharing, then he noticed a nerdy looking guy next to Rai who had a laptop out in front of him.

Were none of them taking his class seriously?

He sighed and turned back to the whiteboard behind him.

The class continued and Azura fought to stay awake and was failing. She decided to watch Rai, just to keep herself awake and it was also because she was interested in him - mostly because of the past they shared.

Then she noticed that she wasn't the only one looking at him - Shinwoo was also looking at him.

"Shinwoo, what are you doing?" She whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Shinwoo had his head resting on the desk and he slightly shifted so he was now facing Azura.

"You know, he's had that same look from the beginning, doesn't he get tired?" He answered her question with another question. "He only turns his head to the side occasionally."

"Doesn't he seem a bit strange to you?" He continued, "we're the only students who would dare to approach him, the others evade him because of the atmosphere. And why is he so good-looking? All the girls are glaring at me just for sitting next to him."

"Hmm." Was her only response as she mulled over what her friend had observed about Rai. Then she moved her eyes from Shinwoo to the red-eyed male next to him.

The red eyes that were now staring into her own red ones.

Had he overheard them?


End file.
